BEETHOVEN Symphonien Nos. 5 + 7 Dudamel 4776228

Is Venezuela the unlikely country that could be the saviour of classical music? It does not seem such a ludicrous notion when I watch the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra perform in Rome . . . Dudamel shares the podium with Claudio Abbado . . . There are more than 100 children on stage, and, playing Beethoven's Fifth, they sound less like an orchestra than like a solid wall of thunderous, elemental sound. But more than that, the vitality of this music-making, the rapt faces of these young musicians, render words such as "urgent" and "passionate" utterly inadequate. In fact, everything they do makes European and North American ways of dealing with classical music seem grey and dull. These young people, aged up to 25, are playing as if their lives depended upon it ¿ and in some ways, perhaps they do.

If you think this orchestra and its firebrand maestro have nothing to add to the countless versions of these Beethoven warhorses that crowd the catalog, guess again. They perform both symphonies with tremendous intensity and commitment, as if their young lives would somehow be forfeit if they didn't. Beethoven's music clearly means the world to these players, and they embrace it as a shining symbol of their own optimism, and hope for a better future than most kids of their generation are likely to know . . . The orchestra sounds solid in all departments, and there are characterful flute and oboe solos. The sound is clean if somewhat recessed, adding little glamour to performances strong enough musically not to require any studio sweetening. A sensational debut disc.

Record Review /
John von Rhein,
Chicago Tribune / 18. August 2006

Why is a youth orchestra playing two of the mostrecorded symphonies in history? With an unknown 25-year-old conductor? On the Deutsche Grammophon label? Answer: This is model music-making . . . every phrase is played with an exciting, deeplyinternalized sense of ownership that adult orchestras would do well to emulate . . . Dudamel is a significant talent.

Record Review /
Philadelphia Inquirer / 27. August 2006

The fiery and gifted young maestro might have chosen lesser-known Latin American works for his debut on Deutsche Grammophon. Instead he opted for two of the most frequently recorded staples of the repertory: Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh Symphonies. The gamble has certainly paid off. The members of the Caracas-based Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra . . . combine youthful enthusiasm, technical finesse and mature profundity: a rare combination, and an ideal one to capture the urgency and optimism of Beethoven's Fifth. From the works sinister opening motif through the lyrical second movement to the spirited final allegro, there is a refreshing sense of excitement. Since this is, presumably, the first time most of these young musicians have played the work, their polished reading is all the more impressive. In Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, Mr. Dudamel again elicits gorgeous phrasing from strings and winds. The hused, beautifully shaded Allegretto is particularly lovely, and the spirited Allegro comes off with unbridled brio.

Record Review /
Vivien Schweitzer,
The New York Times / 27. August 2006

There's a scarcely believable freshness and virtuosity in the playing . . . The opening of the Fifth Symphony is bright and energetic, and all the phrasing and dynamic markings are scrupulously observed . . . beautifully played . . . thanks to the clarity of the recording, you can hear all the detail . . . The Seventh Symphony is . . . promising, with a first movement that really dances, and an Allegretto which doesn't get bogged down in sentiment. In both symphonies there's energy and lightness in the scherzos, and the Seventh also benefits from a trio which slows down enough to make a contrast . . . a major talent . . .

On this showing, the 100-strong orchestra performs with exhilarating panache, its youth revealed . . . Dudamel and his charges bound and leap joyously in No. 7's first movement, with marvellously delicate pianissimo playing here and elsewhere. They also generate a Bacchic exultation in the finales, endorsing the conductor's claim that "this music's energy is fantastic for young musicians . . . it becomes something amazing, because they all share this hope".

Grammophon has a point: on the evidence here, Gustavo Dudamel is a genuine, self-evident and convincing talent. And this young Venezuelan conductor also has his nation¿s excellent youth orchestra playing out of their skins . . . Dudamel¿s flair, energy and no-nonsense directness together generate a descent performance of the Fifth Symphony, plus a truly exciting one of the Seventh, whose coruscating finale really tears along.

Record Review /
Malcom Hayes,
Classic FM (London) / 01. November 2006

. . . they are never less than competent. In the fifth, Dudamel¿s reading of the first movement is fast and clipped, qualities that will characterize much of the rest of the music on this disc. He manages some very interesting voicing in the coda, and then maintains good dynamic control of the strings in the second movement. The third is crisp and swift, the fourth vigorous and precise. In the Seventh Symphony . . . the overall reading is more genial. The second movement passes by uneventfully, the third is perky and speedy, and the entire final movement is simply breathless . . . [Dudamel and his orchestra] have promise and skill.

This young man has been studying and practising conducting for 19 years, and, if this recording is anything to go by, he is already the possessor of a talent of tremendous gifts. The technical quality of the orchestral playing on this disc is superb . . . the impact this music now makes upon us when the results are as impressive as they are here. The musicians in this orchestra can certainly teach their older, more established and more famous European and American counterparts a thing or two about genuine ensemble playing, about penetrating beneath the surface of the music in matters of phrasing, tone-colour and a dozen or more other aspects that separate the very good from the inspired . . . This disc is, I submit, a demonstration of what great music-making can be, and why we should never accept the second-rate in great art. Given, from my description, that the orchestral playing is of the highest quality, we turn to Dudamel's account of these over-recorded works. His tempos are magnificent . . . Throughout both symphonies the conductor's control and genuine understanding . . . are thrilling and moving . . . the most enthusiastic recommendation to this disc, one of the most uplifting records of Beethoven symphonies I have heard in many years.

Record Review /
Robert Matthew-Walker,
International Record Review (London) / 01. November 2006

. . . this recording is testament enough to the power of music. It's also proof of the power of these two symphonies. Performed by Dudamel's youth orchestra, which has been hailed by conductor Simon Rattle as an exciting force in music today, they're vibrant and alive.

. . . with Dudamel leading, [the orchestra] is capable of world-class performances . . . His version is ardent, fresh and beautifully shaped, with a yearning innocence that leaves you wanting more . . .